Conference Programme

Moderators: Josh Plotnik & Sarah Jacobson Perspectives on animal behaviour and cognition are often missing from the development of HWC mitigation and coexistence strategies that integrate scientific research and local knowledge. Importantly, we must do more to acknowledge what we know about how the decisions animals make can influence the intensity and persistence of active conflicts. The collective knowledge of local communities obtained from experience interacting with animals coupled with long-term field studies and behavioural and cognitive experimental research should be leveraged to reduce negative interactions between species. In this interactive session, we will brainstorm applications of animal behaviour knowledge to HWC mitigation, and discuss opportunities to share and build knowledge bases across conflicts. The goal of this session is to begin to formulate a mechanism by which HWC stakeholders worldwide can seek advice to incorporate the ‘wildlife’s perspective’ into their own work and to provide a roadmap for considering animal behaviour in HWC mitigation. Panelists: Joshua Plotnik, City University of New York, USA, HWCCSG Member Sarah Jacobson, City University of New York, USA Jenny A Glikman, Instituto de Estudios Sociales Avanzados, Spain, HWCCSG Member Richard Hoare, IUCN SSC African Elephant Specialist Group, Zimbabwe, HWCCSG Member Nurzhafarina Othman, Universiti Malaysia Sabah & Seratu Aatai, Malaysia, HWCCSG Member Anna Songhurst, Ecoexist Trust, Botswana, HWCCSG Member Ahimsa Campos-Arceiz, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, China, HWCCSG Member